On nails, Chanel Black Pearl is a fresh take on the deep tone shimmer. There is a softer appearance to this polish, Chanel has tweaked its formulation so that the texture is softer, more pearly, than other metallic darks. There is a frost texture, which melted a bit on application which minimizes that troublesome streaking that can occur with other lines.

Another:

So that you can place this color on a spectrum of comparisons, here is Chanel Black Pearl with a variety of other colors that I happen to have in my stash (from left to right):

Zoya Freja–a metallic gray frost that is similar to Chanel Black Pearl, but lacks Chanel’s softer texture and green cast

Chanel Black Pearl

Chanel Steel

Chanel Noir Ceramic

Chanel Black Satin (U.S.)

Chanel Black Satin (France)

Click to enlarge:

Here is a close-up of Zoya Freja and Chanel Steel, which are not duplicates but rather as a contrast to show the texture and tone of Chanel Black Pearl:

Personally, I love Chanel Black Pearl. I do not know of any duplicates for the shade as yet, it is a noticeably beautiful and unique color. The formula is extremely fast-drying, and two coats are necessary.

The pictures above are using three coats. Personally, I prefer using two coats over using three coats. There is a slightly nicer luminosity with two coats, and a slightly heavier look with three.

Black Pearl arrived the day before Christmas Eve day and I had to restrain myself from wearing it (went with Madness!). New Year’s Day is the targeted show date for this beauty. It’s lovely and lush and elegant all at the same time. I don’t have those pearls but my black pearls do have a bluish undertone so they will have to be worn as well. This shade is one-of-a-kind. Thanks for showing the comps.

After seeing your comparisons, I’m even more glad that I got Black Pearl. At first, I thought it might be too dark, too goth, for these old hands, but it is surprisingly flattering. It’s not really all that dark; not really a black, but more of a deep, multi-hued gray. Sometimes it looks like a classic pearl gray, sometimes it looks a bit blue, sometimes it looks a bit green, but it always looks beautiful.